Cork

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the administrative centre of Ireland’s biggest county, County Cork, in the province of Munster. The city boasts one of the world’s largest natural habours.

The main businesses within the city are banks, insurance companies, legal firms, retail outlets, consultancies and service industries. Traffic congestion is becoming increasingly problematic in the city centre, especially during peak commuting hours.

Much of the city’s traffic comprises private cars with a single occupant traveling to work between 8 am and 9 am and returning home between 5 pm and 6.30 pm (City Development Plan, 1998). The promotion of CIVITAS measures such as car sharing and the appointment of mobility plan managers by city centre businesses will go some way to alleviating this source of congestion. This will result in less driving-induced stress and shorter journey times, leading to greater productivity in the workplace and allowing essential delivery services to operate more efficiently.

There are over 90 schools and several higher-education and training colleges in the city, which are also major generators of traffic. Traffic conditions are typically far worse during term time. Cork City Council is therefore actively encouraging these educational institutions to adopt more sustainable transportation strategies, following the example of the CIVITAS measures already introduced in Cork and other CIVITAS cities.